So, I'm a newcomer to Arduino, and have worked my way through the starter kit for the last month or so.Recently, I have spent **hours** trying to debug code, or rewire projects, until I finally found out the problem was that one of the components simply didn't work anymore. When I replaced it with a different one, everything worked again.To be more specific: three N/O switches died, and one tilt switch.

My question is:Is it normal for components to stop working so often?or is there maybe something wrong with my workflow which keeps killing them?or maybe the components that come with the starter kit are just low quality?

The MTBF figure for a product can be derived from laboratory testing, actual field failure data or prediction models such as MIL-HDBK-217 (the Military Handbook for Reliability Prediction of Electronic Equipment, published by the U.S. Department of Defense, Approved for public release; distribution unlimited).

MIL-HDBK-217 contains failure-rate models for various parts used in electronic systems, such as integrated circuits, transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitors, relays, switches and connectors. These failure-rate models are based on a large amount of field data that was analyzed and simplified by the Reliability Analysis Center and Rome Laboratory at Griffiss Air Force Base in Rome, N.Y. (Instructions for downloading MIL-HDBK-217 are at http://www.t-cubed.com/faq_217.htm.)

My guess is that you are wiring the switches up so you have a dead short across the power supply when they are pressed. Look again at how they should be wired up. The best way is between input and ground with a pull up resistor to +5V.See:-http://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Tutorial/Inputs.html

My guess is that you are wiring the switches up so you have a dead short across the power supply when they are pressed. Look again at how they should be wired up. The best way is between input and ground with a pull up resistor to +5V.See:-http://www.thebox.myzen.co.uk/Tutorial/Inputs.html

That might well be the reason, as I've been focusing on understanding pull up resistors lately. Are there common wiring/code mistakes that lead to dead shorts with switches? I've been fairly careful with the tutorials and wiring, but maybe I will recognize something I did wrong.

There is a room with 2 doors. In one corner is a bucket of sand. A fire burns in the middle.

In through one door enters an engineer. The engineer sees the fire, sees the bucket of sand and pours the sand on the fire solving the problem and then leaves.

Same room only this time a physicist enters, sees the fire and sees the bucket of sand. The physicist pours the sand in a ring around the fire and studies the fire until it goes out, solving the problem, then leaves.

Same room only this time a mathematician enters, sees the fire and sees the bucket of sand and realizes that there is a solution and leaves.

Mean time between failures (MTBF) is the predicted elapsed time between inherent failures of a system during operation.

The MTBF can be defined in terms of the expected value of the density function ƒ(t)

Electronics is Math.

Due to t being in the equation, it doesn't seem to adequately take into account"infant mortality" on electronic devices, or the 2nd phase either. Likely only describesthe 3rd phase.http://www.murata.com/products/emicon_fun/2012/04/special_en16.htmlhttp://blogs.indium.com/blog/an-interview-with-the-professor/electronics-failure-analysis-for-pb-and-pb-free-solder-joints

This is very nice, but is really just the "reductionist" perception of the world, ie mainly that of physics.

What's missing is the concept related to complexity theory that use of the word "just"here limits the analysis to only half the problem. In reality, each time you go "up" to another level of description - ie, moving from right to left <----------- there are new sets of rules and interactions that come into play that are basically indescribable by the reductionist perspective alone.

The most obvious example is flying from physics on the right over to sociology on the left, it would be utterly hopeless to try and describe human behavior and male-female interactions using equations from quantum mechanics and movement of individual atoms and molecules.

No! Mechanical things can wear-out, but how often have you had to change the light switches in your house?

Have you tested those switches with a multimeter?

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or is there maybe something wrong with my workflow which keeps killing them?

Your "workflow" should not harm them, unless perhaps you get solder flux inside the switch, or if you clean them with water and they corrode inside.... If you are running excessive voltages & currents through them, they can be damaged. But with 5V or 12V and milliamps, any switch should survive.

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or maybe the components that come with the starter kit are just low quality?